The present invention relates to a sheet feed apparatus suitable for use with various kinds of printers and typewriters, particularly an ink jet printer.
A modern sheet feed apparatus for a printer includes paper bail rollers for pressing a sheet against a platen, a deflector for guiding the sheet along the platen, an elongate auxiliary guide member capable of assuming a position between the paper bail rollers and the deflector, and a solenoid for causing the auxiliary guide member into rotation. The upper end of the auxiliary guide member is located adjacent to the paper bail rollers so as to guide the leading end of the paper from the deflector to the paper bail rollers. After the leading end of the paper has been inserted between the paper bail rollers and the platen, the auxiliary guide member is rotated such that its upper end is moved clear of the paper bail rollers.
A problem encountered with a sheet feed apparatus of the type described above is that the elongate configuration of the auxiliary guide member makes it difficult to pass the paper around the platen. Such a configuration of the auxiliary guide member is unavoidable because the center of rotation of the guide member coincides with that of the platen and because pressure rollers for urging the paper against the platen are located in the rotating region of the auxiliary guide member.